The thought of growing up in Rio de Janeiro can conjure up idyllic pictures of lush, sandy beaches, beautiful weather, and a fun, laid-back atmosphere. But that’s not what many Brazilians experience growing up there.
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While those things are certainly there, there’s also another side to the city. Poverty, crime, drugs, and a life of struggle exist in the favelas, and ONE Championship star Leandro Ataides knows that side of Rio all too well.
The middleweight contender grew up in the favelas, and often found himself in fights as a schoolboy. But he eventually discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and it started to turn his life around.
“Without martial arts and BJJ, maybe I would not be here right now,” the 31-year-old admitted.
“I do not know what I would be doing. I have no idea.”
Ataides frequently found himself in trouble at school, and his mother was often called in to discuss her wayward son’s behaviour. Eventually, a family member suggested to her that she enrol him in BJJ classes to help instil more structure and discipline to his life.
“One of my mum’s cousins told her to put me in jiu-jitsu, because it would calm me,” he said.
“After the first time I stepped on the mat, I never left. Maybe one time to try soccer, just to follow my friends, but my life was spent on the BJJ mats.”
It worked. Ataides found his spiritual home on the mats of the Nova União gym where, under the tutelage of coaches Andrè Pederneiras and Wendell Alexander, he became an elite-level grappler, winning five BJJ world championships.
“My coach has made me the man I am now,” he stated.
It’s his hope that he can one day become as influential to others as Pedereiras was to him growing up. He plans on achieving that aim by becoming as big a role model for youngsters as he possibly can, and by opening a gym where he can help underprivileged youngsters find a way out of the favelas.
“I have a good dream in my life,” Ataides said.
“I want to make a place for people with no money to train. I do not want their money, I just want to help take care of these people, help teach them, and keep them going to school.”
While his own upbringing in Rio wasn’t one he’d enjoy seeing repeated in others’ lives, he uses his story to help inspire youngsters and let them know that there is a way out that doesn’t involve turning to a life of crime or drugs.
“When I go back to Rio, I always go to the favela to talk about my life, to talk about what happened to me,” he revealed.
“I have never used drugs. The guys from poor families, they ask me how to enjoy martial arts and jiu-jitsu, and how they can do this in their life to get discipline. They do not know about life outside of Rio. They do not know the world around them, because the drugs will not let them.”
Ataides hopes to become an even bigger inspiration through his successes in the ONE Championship cage, where he competes as one of the organisation’s new middleweight contenders.
At ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE in Jakarta, “Leo” faces off against Vitalii Shemetov in a pivotal bout at the sharp end of the middleweight division. Victory could well put him in line for a shot at the title, currently held by another inspirational figure, Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang.
The Brazilian is steadfast in his belief that he can help others through his endeavours, as he continues to be an example of how you can achieve your dreams, regardless of your background.
